IQALUIT - Iqaluit city councillor Joanasie Akumalik recalled how after a night of heavy drinking he had blacked out but still remembered bits and pieces of assaulting his wife. He said when he got up the next morning he could not find her. She returned later that day after spending the night at the women's shelter.

City councillor Joanasie Akumalik shares a letter his daughter wrote when he and his wife still drank. Now he does not drink and he encourages others to do the same. - Emily Ridlington/NNSL photo

"I surely thought I had killed her," he said.

Akumalik said his wife was medevaced to Montreal as he had broken her lower jaw.

"It was the worst month of my life," Akumalik said.

He was charged with assault and went to a treatment centre in Toronto for alcohol abuse.

"To this day I have not had a drink."

Akumalik told this story to those at the Nunavut Liquor Task Force meeting in Iqaluit on Feb. 16.

The members of the task force were appointed by Finance Minister Keith Peterson at the end of March 2010. Their assignment has been to travel across the territory collecting opinions and then to provide feedback on the Nunavut Liquor Act and the issue of alcohol in the territory's communities.

Before Akumalik took his seat, he read aloud a letter his daughter had written when she was 10 years old.

"I'm really proud of my mom and my dad because they stopped drinking ... I think it's more funner because my family is having fun and I like that, they show me more love now."

Personal stories and anecdotes along with comments and concerns were shared during the three-hour meeting.

Present were task force members chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol, chair Donna Adams, vice-chair Esau Tatatoapik, youth ambassador Miranda Atatahak, NTI vice-president Jack Anawak, Akulliq MLA John Ningark for Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay and RCMP Supt. Howard Eaton.

Annie Quirke said she would like to see resources increased for alcohol education committees.

"Make them stronger so they can provide education programs in the community for their people by their own people," she said.

Increasing resources was a common thread throughout the evening as many called for a treatment centre to be established in the territory.

Jonah Akavak stood at the microphone and said a treatment centre in Nunavut would help many people.

He sought treatment for alcohol abuse in the south at a facility run by First Nations.

"It's not our culture; no wonder they stop in the middle of their healing program," he said.

Akavak said part of treatment should include hunting, harvesting and more traditional activities.

"These are the things we need if we are going to be healing," Akavak said.

Like Akavak, Sila Kipanik said there needs to be a treatment centre in Nunavut.

He said he remembers when you could get treatment in Apex and would be taken out on the land and taught caribou hunting and traditional skills.

While he encouraged the task force and their work, he spoke with some apprehension.

"I believe we all have very high expectations and there never seems to be any implementation," Kipanik said.

Sobol addressed this, prefacing his comments by saying the task force was working at arms length from the government.

"The government needs to think about its entire approach to alcohol and its causes and if they are not doing that, get rid of them and bring in people who will."

Some individuals suggested turning to other jurisdictions to see what they have done to solve the problem.

Poasie Ootoova said in communities such as Qaanaaq, Greenland, there are bars and the hamlets is responsible for handing out tickets.

Ootoova also suggested perhaps Nunavut should get a liquor store to help ease the amount of bootlegging, a concern brought up by many others.

In addition to this, several individuals wanted to know if the RCMP could track how much alcohol individuals were buying through the permitting process.

Sobol said they have heard in some southern jurisdictions, more permits are only issued once the person has returned the empty bottles. This cannot be done in Nunavut, at present, due to privacy issues.

At the end of the meeting Adams said she was happy with the turnout of about 30 people.

"Considering the fact a lot of people said it's infamous for not having good shows for a public meeting I think it went very well," she said.

Adams said what she and the other task force members heard in the territory's capital about bootlegging, the need for more support for alcohol education committees, raising awareness, the need for a treatment centre and using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in treatment programs was helpful.

The task force still has about 12 communities to visit on their territory-wide tour. Feedback from the public will continue to be collected until June or July. A final report will be issued to the public and be tabled in the legislative assembly.

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